Clinical and electrodiagnosis outcome in patients with carpal tunnel release surgery

Abstract

Introduction: Carpal tunnel release surgery is effective, although some reports show a satisfaction level of only 75% after surgery. The functional historical-objective scale (HiOb) is the one that best correlates with the neurophysiological state of the median nerve. Objective: To determine clinical, functional and electrophysiological outcomes following surgical release in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome. Materials and methods: Analytical and descriptive study of patients with carpal tunnel syndrome who underwent surgery between 2013 and 2014. All individuals underwent pre-and postoperative clinical and electrophysiological testing. Results: 36 patients with an average age of 49 years were studied; the most frequent preoperative clinical signs were Phalen’s test and hand elevation (91%). The minimum follow-up time was 6 months. There was improvement in pain; in the signs of Tinel’s, Phalen’s and hand elevation; in the HiOb scale, and in the Boston Questionnaire, both in terms of function and symptoms. Electrophysiological results showed improvement in distal motor latency of the median nerve, distal sensory latency of the median nerve, and delta sensory latency. Conclusions: Carpal tunnel release surgery is an effective procedure to improve pain, symptoms, functional scales and electrophysiological findings. Tinel’s preoperative sign is associated with worse outcomes in the Boston questionnaire.